This weekend we will celebrate our 50th Anniversary as an organization at our
sold-out Gala
. We are looking forward to an wonderful evening!
In 1970, Bob Winn, a young New Orleans attorney, was invited to attend the second national gathering of pro-life leaders at Macalester College in Minnesota, where he learned about the brutality of abortion. With nine projector slides in tow, wrapped in ditto paper and held together by a rubber band, Bob returned home and, together with his wife, Maria, held a dinner party with friends. The evening ended with the founding of Louisiana and New Orleans Right to Life to tell the truth about abortion and euthanasia.
Three years later, the U.S. Supreme Court did the unthinkable by legalizing abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy nationwide through Roe vs. Wade.
From this first dinner party and through the dedication of countless volunteers, Louisiana Right to Life has led the way to Louisiana becoming one of the most pro-life states in America. For the last 50 years we have given educational presentations, founded and assisted pregnancy help centers, passed legislation, fostered adoption awareness, sponsored marches, prayed at abortion facilities, and much, much more.
To be honest, our 50th Anniversary is bittersweet. The fact that our organization still needs to exist is a reminder of the injustices that persist against the dignity of human life. But we also know that if Bob and the other good men and women who founded our organization, and many others like it around the nation, had never stepped up to fight, the culture of death would be even more pervasive than it is today. As shown by the consistent decrease in abortion numbers since the late 1980's, lives are being saved and families helped. Who knows where we would be today if our founders had chosen to be silent instead of speaking out.
Thank you to everyone, living and deceased, who has given of their time, talent, and treasure to stand for life. Certainly nobody enters this movement for worldly glory. We appreciate all the sacrifices made for those who cannot speak for themselves.
I firmly believe that our nation in time will bring an end to abortion. I pray it happens sooner rather than later. I am confident the future will remember abortion as one of the greatest injustices in our nation's history. But until that day, we will keep fighting for life.
For a Pro-Life Louisiana,
Benjamin Clapper
P.S. Our Louisiana Life Marches start this Sunday in Shreveport!!
Plan to march
in Shreveport, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Monroe, or Alexandria!
